Handle-fastening wedge.



J. G. DUNGANl -v HANDLE FASTENING WEDGE.

APPLICATION FILED N0.V. 25 1914.

1 1 90,239. Patented July 4;1916.

4En STATES .PATENT oFr'IcE.

JAMES G. DUNGAN, 01?y LOS ANGELES,l CALIFORNIA.

HANDLE-FASTENING wanen.

Specification of kLetters Ilaltent.

Application led November 25, 1914. Serial No. 873,871.

drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which formapart of this specification.

This invention relates to a wedge more.

particularly adapted for use in the attachment of the head of a hammer,hatchet or like tool to the handle, usually made of wood, and rigidlysecured in an eye or aperture formed in thejhead.

It is customary in the attachment of the head of a hammer or hatchet tothe handle to use a Wooden or metal wedge which4 is drivenin to a splitopening'inthe end of the handle in such maner as to expand the end ofthe handle in the eye or'v aperture in the head so as to preventthe-head from. flying off lthe handle. Wedges of the kind y heretoforeproduced are objectionable-for the reason that while they accomplish theintended'function at the time they are applied and for some timethereafter, they ultimately become loose and fail to accomplish thefunction for which they are intended, and even if hammered home a secondtime after they have become loose,'the

frictional engagement of the wedge in Fits seat. after the wedge hasonce been loosened therefrom is soil inefficient that once it has becomeloose such av wedge can never thereafter be tightened sufliciently to beof much value in holding the head on the handle.

The' various advantages of my 'invention will appear more fully as Iproceed with my specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a view representing a side elevation of ahammer in which the head is secured to the handle by -means of myimproved wedge. Fig. 2 is a view representing an end elevation of thehead of the said hammer.. Fig. 3 is a view representing on an enlargedscale 4a section through the hammer and handle in a plane indicated bythe line 3-3`of'Fig.' 2. Fig.

4 is a View representing a transverse sc- .455

tion through Fig. 3 in a plane indicated by the line 4 4 offFig. 3.,'Figs. Sand l6 represent detail perspective views of the parts of myimproved wedge. Fig. `7 is a view representing a detaill sectional viewof a part of the improved wedge showing one .of the elements thereof ina slightly modiinvention illustrated in the drawings, 10

indicates the head of the-hammer and 11, the handle.

12 indicates the eye or aperture in the head in which the handle' issecured in a familiar manner.

13 indicates as a whole my improved wedge.

lhe wedge is madel in two partsv and compr1ses a member 14 fixedto thehandle and a member 15 which is more particularly intended to producethe wedge action and which is movable with reference to the member 14.The improved-wedge is made of metal and the two members 14 and 15 areprovided with interactingi corrugations or teeth indicated respectivelyatv 14a-15a Patented July e, 191e.

which are adapted by their engagement to prevent'movement in alongitudinal direcrespect to the fixed wedge member 14. The wedge as awhole is adapted to be engaged with a space left in the eye of the headof the tool by cutting away a part of the handle at one edge as clearlyillustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. In orderv to leave the said space thehandle is cut away so as to leave a flat surface 16 and the fixed member14 of the wedge is rigidly attached against the said surface 16 of thehandle. The movable members 15 ofthe wedge is adapted to be driven intothe space .in the Vhead left between the fixed member 14 of the wedgeand the adjacent surface defining the eye of the tool as indicated inFig. 3. In. the use of thedevice of attachment of the head of a ltool-toits handle the said. movable member ing position to a further advancedposition, the elasticity of' the metal ot' the movable wedge memberpermitting this action.

The fixed member 14 is fixed to the handle in any convenient manner asby a. prong 18. This prong may 'be separate from or, as is preferable.an integralv part of the fixed vmember of the wedge. As shown the saidprong is made by cutting ay strip of metal from the fixed wedge memberitself and bending the same away from the plane of the said wedgemember, as clearly( indicated in l `igs. 3 and .5. The part cut away toform the. said prong is preferably bent so that when applied to thehandle of a hammer it willl be. inclined toward the end of said handlethat is toward the head of' the hammer. ln applying .the wedge to attachthe head of a tool to its handle, the fixed member l-l is first rigidlyattached to the flat surface 1G at the end oi the handle by driving theprong 18 into said handle. rl`he end ot the handle is then slipped intothe eye 1&2 of the head in the usilal manner and the movable member ofthe. wedge driven into the space in the eye of' the head between thefixed member 1-l of the wedge and the. adjacent 'wall of the eye. Saidmovable member is driven in until the coacting corrugations 14"-15" ofthe said partslof the wedge are 'brought Iinto engagement anduntil thehead is properly wedged upon the handle. l

Should thehandle become loose in the head owing tothe contraction of'the handle undertemperature or moisture conditions of the atmosphere`the wedge may be tightened either by drivingl the movable member oi" thewedge farther into the eye or by striking the .hand en d vot the handle1n such manner as to move the fixed part of the wedge memberwithreference to the movable member thereoi.- ln this operation thecorrugations will -be engaged togetherlin a new relation and the headwill become as rigid on the handle as in the first place.

ln order to'supplment the action ot the wedge I prefer to provide ashort knife l wedge-19 adapted to extend transversely of the eye' inthehandle and engage a. suitable notch' or split 20 in the end ofthehandle. This supplemental part acts in the same Way as the usualwood'en wedge and supplements ,the action ot the movable member`15 of myimproved wedge.

ln order to facilita-te the removing of the head from\ the handle incase the handle is damaged and it is desired to replace the Same with anew handle, l may use a. modification of the device as shown in Fig. 7,in whlch the movable member of the wedge 1s provided with a hinged part21 which has the corrugations Q1 adapted `to coaet with the corrugations14 on the fixed member of the wedge. The said hinged part is connectedwith the other part of' the movable member. in such manner that it maybe swung outwardly on its hinge as indicated by dotted lilies todisengage the coacting teeth of the two members of the wedge, but thehinge is' made stiff enough so that the two parts will coact as above.described and thel hinged part may only be forced from its engagementwith the fixed member of the wedge by the use of force. as for example,byv inserting a screw driver or other tool.

l claim as my invention: y

l. A wedge device of the kind described comprising two members. one ofsaid members having an integral prong adapted to be entered into thehandle adjacent its end to afiix said member to said handle, and theother of said members being adapted to be driven in the. manner of' awedge into the eye of' the head of' the tool adjacent the other memberand in engagement therewith, said member having a supplemental wedge atits top end adapted to enter the handle and each -of' said members beingprovided with interacting interlocking teeth at their bottom ends.

2. A wedge device of the kind described comprising two members, `one ofsaid members havine an inteeral ron v ada )ted to be h F* l" entered into the handle adjacent its end to afiix said member to said handle andthe other ot' said members being adapted to be driven inthe manuel-.of awedge into the eye of the h'ead of' the tool adaccnt the other memberand in engagement therewith, said member,having a supplemental wedge atits .top end adapted to enter into the handle,

each of' said menibers being provided with interacting interlockingteeth at their bottom ends,` the last mentioned member including a.hinged part upon which is formed the teeth of said member.

In testimony, that l. claimv the foregoing as my invention I aiiix mysignature in the presence of' two witnesses, this `20th day ot' NovemberA. D. A1914.

JAMES G. 'DUNGAN iVitnesses:

T. H. ALF-anos, KARL W. Dom..

